DRC is a founding member of the umbrella organisation Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (DACAAR), which has over 20 years of experience conducting relief and development work in Afghanistan. Among DACAAR’s main activities are safe water supply, hygiene education and sustainable rural development.

Three decades of conflict have left Afghanistan as one of the world’s poorest countries. Only 23 percent of the population enjoy access to safe water and 88 percent of Afghans do not have access to adequate sanitation. Each year 85,000 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea (WHO). The country’s limited resources are further strained by the return of over five million refugees since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001, and by the large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs), who have been forced from their lands due to conflict and drought amongst other causes (UNHCR).

25 years of experience in securing the Afghan people safe water and sustainable rural development
DACAAR has been working side by side with the Afghan people for the past 25 years. The organisation is almost entirely based in Afghanistan, but also maintains a small secretariat in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ultimate authority over the organisation lies with the Governing Board, which is made up of a representative from each of DACAAR’s two member organisations, DRC and Danish People’s Aid (DPA).

Since its initial relief project, a sewing centre for female Afghan refugees living in Peshawar, Pakistan, the NGO has expanded its geographical reach to work in 27 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. As of 2006, DACAAR completely phased out its work in Pakistan to focus solely on much-needed development activities inside Afghanistan.

Water and Sanitation
One of DACAAR’s core programme activities is to provide safe water to the people of Afghanistan. DACAAR projects target vulnerable rural communities, with families from the returnee and IDP communities being among their main beneficiaries. To date DACAAR’s Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) has constructed over 38,000 water points across 27 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, providing over six million Afghans with access to safe water. DACAAR realises that the provision of safe water is not enough to save lives and consequently, along with each water point, three demonstration latrines are constructed for community members to duplicate. To ensure the proper use of facilities and to reduce transmission of water-borne diseases, all beneficiaries also receive hygiene training from DACAAR staff.

Sustainable Rural Development
DACAAR applies a holistic approach to all its rural development activities, acknowledging that rural communities depend on a wide range of agrarian and non-agrarian income sources in order to survive. The organisation’s Rural Development Programme (RDP) therefore spans a wide range of activities, including the introduction of new and improved crops, providing technical assistance to achieve more efficient production, improving irrigation systems, as well as infrastructure initiatives and vocational training. To guarantee the long term viability and sustainability of all projects, DACAAR encourages meaningful community participation. From the initial planning stages of a project, over implementation and through to long-term maintenance, DACAAR works in close consultation with its beneficiaries and continues to support the development of community based organisations, both male and female.

Capacity Building and Gender Mainstreaming
As a development organisation, the capacity building of local staff constitutes an integral part of DACAAR’s purpose, with staff receiving training in leadership, first aid, human rights and social organisation amongst other subjects. The career trajectories of former DACAAR staff in government, private sector and the wider NGO community serve as proof of their ensuing successes.

In 2008, DACAAR introduced a Gender Unit to promote gender mainstreaming in the organisation's work, both internally and externally. Fully operational since 1 May 2008, the unit has initiated pilot interventions within both rural development and water and sanitation activities. For the latter, this includes the development of a gender specific needs assessment questionnaire, which was first piloted as part of a WSP project in Balkh province. Within the rural development programme, the aim is to explore the potential to further strengthen the capacities of Women’s Resource Centers (WRCs) set up by DACAAR. In addition DACAAR conducts ongoing learning activities in order to build the capacities and understanding of the Gender Unit. Trainings targeting key management individuals are carried out in order to increase institutional awareness of gender issues. The unit works closely with the HR team to ensure that procedures for job announcements and recruitment are gender conscious.